


Send Her My Love

by lizsooner



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Angst, F/M, relationship resolution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-10
Updated: 2015-03-10
Packaged: 2018-03-17 06:32:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3518975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizsooner/pseuds/lizsooner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by the Journey song with the same title.  The Twelfth Doctor and Clara, fresh from their Christmas encounter, start anew as the Doctor searches for Gallifrey.  Their accidental destination brings back memories for the Doctor that he had long buried and a new dilemma for Clara.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Editing done finally! Hopefully now this will be an easier read, and certainly easier to understand. Hope everyone enjoys this...it was in my head a long time. Love to hear comments! Thanks for reading.

Send Her My Love

_Send her my love_  
_Memories remain_  
_Send her my love_  
_Roses never fade…_

  
Chapter One

  
Gallifrey. It was all he could think about. Where could it be? Did the Master really know, did she give him the correct coordinates? And if she did, then why was nothing there when he arrived? Was she lying again, or was this some sort of trick? What was he missing?

  
The Doctor, in his twelfth incarnation, pounded his fists in frustration on the center console of the TARDIS. He was so desperate to find Gallifrey, supposedly saved somewhere, frozen in time, locked away. But where? After encountering the Master again, his old nemesis who never seemed to perish, he felt certain that she had been truthful. She had told him where to find their home planet. But was he too anxious, so desperate to find it, that he trusted too quickly? And why after all this time would she tell him the truth? What did she have to gain?

  
So many questions and no answers. Anger and frustration threatened to overtake him again in these moments of introspection, pondering her empty promise. He shoved those feelings down, making the decision that he had to think outside the box (literally) to finally locate his missing world. There had to be a solution and continually bombarding his though process with negativity did nothing to solve the problem.

  
At least now, he had Clara with him again. After all that she had been through, after all the nonsense at Christmas, he had convinced her to come with him once more. He was more than delighted to be travelling with her again. And he knew that she needed him right now just as much as he needed her. Losing Danny, the love of her life, changed her forever, and what better way to escape her broken heart than to run away. After all, the Doctor knew, this seemed to always be his solution.

  
He began to contemplate all the possibilities again regarding the whereabouts of his home planet. Was it existing in an invisible time stream like the ones he encountered on Apalapucia? Was it hidden exactly one second off just as the 27 planets had been hidden in the Medusa Cascade all those years ago by Davros? Or perhaps it was residing in a pocket universe, or even a parallel one?

  
He didn’t want to think about any parallel universes again. Not now. It had taken him so many years and two regenerations to finally move on emotionally from that. Watching Clara go through the loss of Danny reminded him too much of his own loss so long ago. He knew that he had done the right thing, leaving her there to live out the life he wished he could live with her but knew was impossible. And as time wore on it became easier to push those feelings down. But every once in a while, something would remind him of her and he would selfishly wish that he wasn’t a Time Lord.

  
_Utter rubbish. I can’t even allow myself to speak her name_ he thought. It still hurt. And the guilt he felt was just as powerful. _I didn’t even give her a choice. I told her some nonsense about the meta-crisis being too dangerous to be left on his own and that she could make him better. I didn’t even ask her._  
But he didn’t need to ask her what she really wanted. He already knew. And if he were being completely honest with himself, he knew that he had wanted the same thing…to spend the rest of his life with her, his beautiful…Rose.

  
He also knew then, as he still knows, that it would have been impossible. He was a Time Lord, with an indefinite life span. She was human, and he couldn’t bear the thought of watching her wither and die. It was easier to leave her there and remember her exactly how she was and never go through the pain of losing her. In his mind, she would always be there, a perfect memory, safely tucked away. Besides, in the parallel universe she could spend her days surrounded by family, her whole family, all the while creating one of her own with his duplicate, if she wanted.

  
_It’s still not fair_ he said to himself. He had sacrificed so much in his life. She had promised him forever, and he let her go. He gave her a forever with him, but not with him. He knew when he left her there that it would take time for her to fully embrace what he had done and why he had done it. He hoped that eventually she would forgive him…but above all he wanted her to be happy. That alone was worth his sacrifice.

  
_What’s done is done._ With a dismissive sigh he shoved his thoughts of Rose aside, needing to redirect his energy for the task at hand.

  
Meanwhile, Clara sat in a chair in the upper deck that surrounded the control room, reading a book. She was trying to do anything to occupy her mind, occasionally glancing down at the Doctor to see if he was making any progress. The events of the last few months were still fresh, still painful. Danny was gone. He had the chance to come back to her, but in true Danny Pink fashion, chose to sacrifice his opportunity to allow the child he had killed to come back. How could she fault him for that? It was one of the reasons she loved him so much, would always love him. And now, somehow, she had to learn to live without him…

  
_Shake it off Clara_ she thought. She had to stop torturing herself with thoughts of him, what their lives could have been. She was so grateful that the Doctor had insisted that she come back with him for more adventures. Nothing like seeing the splendor of other galaxies and planets (and occasionally facing great danger) to take her mind off Danny. She wondered if this was one of the reasons the Doctor was constantly on the move, if he did this to avoid looking back at all those he had lost. Although they hadn’t really discussed his past, she knew that she couldn’t be the first person he had travelled with. How painful it must have been for him to leave so many people he loved behind.

  
She also wondered if the Doctor had been in love, like the love she had with Danny. She knew about River Song. She knew that they had been married and that he genuinely seemed to care for her, but how did that relationship work? During the time she was with the Doctor, even before he regenerated, the two of them weren’t together, at least in a normal sort of relationship way. She didn’t even know River was a woman until she met her during the conference at Madame Vastra’s. Theirs was a very unconventional pairing to say the least.

  
The Doctor had lived over 2000 years. Surely, somewhere in his timeline, he had been in love, had fallen head-over-heels-can’t-live-without-you in love. The kind of love where you can’t bear to be apart…and would have been impossibly painful to forget. She knew that pain, that deep burning hurt that never stopped. For humans, at least under normal circumstances, two people could spend their lives together. For a Time Lord, however, you would have the realization right away that forever was impossible, that you would go on living a very, very long time, far longer than your partner.

  
Tears welled up in her eyes…not only for her own hurt, but for her friend. It was no wonder he kept on running and never looked back. How many times had he endured what she was going through now? As terrible as it was for her, how bad was it for him?

  
_Stop it_ she told herself. She didn’t want the Doctor to see her cry anymore. She had learned through her adventures with her friend how to be The Doctor, and now it was time to put that lesson into practice. If somehow he could do it, could feel that pain every day and still go on, then so could she.

  
Several hours later Clara and the Doctor were chatting casually as they stood in front of the console. “I’ve tried several different theories in my head regarding the whereabouts of Gallifrey,” he told her, “and I think I may be on to something. It may be risky, we might get stuck somewhere and not able to come back easily, so I’m warning you now. Are you still willing to come with me?”

  
“Doctor,” Clara said as she looked into his eyes, “I’ve never been more ready. Let’s do this.” In her mind she had absolutely nothing left to lose, and if this would be her end, it might as well be with the Doctor.

  
With that, the Doctor punched in commands on the keyboard, flipped several levers, and the mechanisms in the center tube started to rise and fall. The lights flashed on and off and the TARDIS made her normal wheezing travel sounds. Things seemed to be fine for a while.

  
However, about ten minutes into the excursion, the situation changed drastically. There was an explosion, all of the lights went out and the ship spun out of control. The Doctor and Clara grabbed the handrails and held on for dear life. They could feel the ship falling.

  
“What did you do?” Clara yelled over the sounds of the ship.

  
“Gallifrey is still in the same place, but hidden, at least that’s my theory,” the Doctor stated loudly. “If it is indeed hidden, it’s most likely in a pocket or parallel universe. I have tried to find an opening in the Time Vortex to allow us to fall into another dimension. This is approximately the same location I was years ago when I fell in accidentally. It was worth a shot!”

  
“Wait! You’ve been in a parallel universe before?” Clara responded.

  
“Yes!” The Doctor answered.

  
“Well, I guess you got back from there last time, right?”

  
“Yes!”

  
“Was it hard to get back?”

  
“Almost impossible!”

  
“Great!”

  
“So, you are willing to risk not returning just to find Gallifrey?”

  
“Some things are worth the risk, right?” He reminded her.

  
“Don’t go there, Doctor,” she gave him a look. She didn’t need reminding of their excursion to try and bring back Danny from the dead.

  
“I was certain that I had closed this gap forever. But if Gallifrey was forced through the gap, perhaps it created a ripple effect which caused some of the old openings to fracture just enough for us to get through. It feels like it worked! Hang on Clara, prepare for a crash landing!”

  
“Crash landing! What?”

  
BOOM. Then nothing. All the lights of the TARDIS went out completely. Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling.

  
“Oh my God!” Clara whispered. “Is the TARDIS dead?”

  
“I don’t know,” the Doctor responded quietly.

  
“Did this happen when you were here before?”

  
“Yes. The first time I was here.”

  
“You’ve been here more than once?”

  
“Yes.”

  
“Care to elaborate?”

  
“No.”

  
“Ok. So…if the TARDIS was dead, how did you manage to get back?”

  
“She wasn’t completely dead. She had one energy crystal that I was able to recharge that enabled me to fire the ship back up. Another problem is that she doesn’t function in this universe like she does in ours. Energies are different.”

  
“Ok, so now what?”

  
“I need to see where we are.”

  
“How are you going to do that? The ship’s not working, none of the computers are functioning, how are we possibly going to determine anything?” She was almost hysterical.

  
“Open the door,” he said calmly.

  
“Oh!” Clara said, a bit dumbstruck.

  
Clara walked over to the door and opened it. She was expecting to find some alien landscape. Instead she was completely shocked.

  
“We are on Earth?” she asked.

  
“Yes and no.” he replied.

  
“Are we on a parallel Earth?”

  
“If I did this right, yes.”

  
“Ok, where on ‘parallel Earth’ are we?”

  
They both stepped out of the TARDIS. The wind whipped their clothing and the smell of the sea permeated the air.

  
“A beach in Norway…” The Doctor sighed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

  
“So, now what?” Clara looked at the Doctor.

  
“I’m going to inspect the TARDIS to see if I can find any sign of life,” he stated. “If I planned this correctly, I should have some reserve power cells left and I can charge her back up again. But it may take a while. A week, perhaps.”

  
“So what do we do in the meantime? I mean, we must be miles from anywhere…”

  
“50 miles outside of Bergen…” he said quietly.

  
“50 miles outside of…Doctor! Why are we in the middle of nowhere?”

  
“That’s where the gap came out.”

  
“Ok. So am I safe to assume since you’ve been here before that you know someone here?”

  
The Doctor looked towards the sea. “Yes.”

  
“Someone we can contact, right? Because we can’t very well stay here for a week with a non-functioning TARDIS?”

  
The Doctor looked on silently.

  
“Doctor!”

  
“I never thought I would be back here…” he uttered quietly. “I shouldn’t be here. Maybe I made a mistake…”

  
“Doctor, what is going on? Who is here?”

  
Again, Clara was met with silence.

  
“You have to tell me what is going on!”

  
The Doctor looked down and shook his head. “Lend me your phone. I have to call someone.”

  
“Someone who can help us, I presume?” she said, annoyed at the lack of information.

  
“Yes, of course someone who can help us!” he smirked at her. _Why does Clara have to ask so many questions_ …?

  
He stared down at her mobile for a few minutes, delaying what he knew he had to do. He never thought he would be here again, in this place. He vowed he would never return, that he would leave them here to make a life together, that he would never interfere.

  
And yet, here he was. By his own fruition. He was so desperate to find his home planet that he was willing to take a chance. He knew that landing here was a possibility, but it seemed so unlikely. And still he was here.

  
Maybe he could just get a hold of…the Meta-Crisis. Himself from two regenerations ago, three if you count the one that created his duplicate. Maybe there would be some way he could work with him without her finding out, without having to face her again. He had made peace with his decision long ago, and he had said his final goodbye to her right before his previous regeneration. He didn’t think he could bare to see her again, not now, not after all this time.

  
How could he? It was hard enough the first time, letting her go. He sacrificed his happiness, his chance to travel with her again, the love of his life, because in the end he knew that leaving her with his duplicate would ultimately lead to a better life for her, one that he could never give her. He knew she would be bitter, would probably hate him.

  
But he knew back then he would change again, and soon. Prophecy had told him as much. She had a hard time accepting him after she saw him regenerate the first time. She seemed rather fond of his form in that incarnation, and here was a perfect duplicate, partially human as well. He would never regenerate and would age with her. There was no better solution.

  
How was he supposed to explain all of that to her before he left her? He couldn’t tell her he was going to die soon, that he would change again. She probably would have told him that she didn’t care, that she would love him no matter what. But how long could that go on? He was over 2000 years old now, she would have died years ago had she stayed with him the whole time.

  
And really, what was he going to do with the Meta-Crisis? Bring him along? Way too complicated. And if he did regenerate, who would she have chosen? Especially now in his current form.

  
No, he did the right thing.

  
And now, he had gotten himself into this mess, and regardless of all the guilt he was feeling, all the regrets, he was still the Doctor, and he had to put all personal feelings aside and move on.

  
After asking Clara for some privacy, he called The Vitex Corporate offices in London. Upon getting an answering service that asked the caller to pick a series of options, he sonicked the phone to get a direct line to Pete Tyler’s office.

  
A secretary answered. “This is the office of Pete Tyler. Can I take a message?”

  
“This is the Doctor. I need to speak to Mr. Tyler right away.”

  
“Oh hello! You don’t sound like yourself today, Doctor. How are your children?”

  
He swallowed hard. Children?

  
“Listen, I really need to talk to Pete. Can you put me through?”

  
“Oh sorry! Of course. I’ll put you right through.”

  
He nervously waited while the call transferred. How was this going to transpire?

  
“Hello Doctor! How are things?”

  
“Pete, this is the Doctor, but not your Doctor…”

  
There was silence.

  
“How is this possible?” Pete said, obviously shocked. “The walls were sealed…”

  
“I know. It’s a long story.”

  
“Are we in danger?” Pete asked.

  
“No, not at all. But I am here. On this planet. And I need some assistance.”

  
“How can I help you?”

  
“I need to speak to your son-in-law, I presume he is that?”

  
Another long pause. “Yes. Yes he is.”

  
The Doctor took a deep breath. “I think he is the only one who can help me right now.”

  
“You realize this could be messy,” Pete said, an obvious edge to his voice.

  
“Yes, I know. But I thought perhaps I could talk to him without…Rose…finding out.”

  
“That’s a tall order,” Pete replied. “I hope you aren’t here to interfere in their life. They are very happy right now. I will do this if you give me your word that you will leave them alone.”

  
“Believe me, this was the last phone call I ever wanted to make,” the Doctor assured him. “I made the choice long ago to let her go. I never intended on coming back. I’m actually here in this universe for a completely different reason, and only as a last resort. I just need some help and I’ll be on my way.”

  
“Doctor,” Pete said, “you have always been good to my family. I will be forever grateful that you gave me a second chance with Jacks, and because of you I have a daughter, a son, and two beautiful grandchildren. I will do you this favor, but please understand if I don’t want you to stay. It took Rose a long time…”

  
“I know,” the Doctor said quietly. “You have my word.”

  
After Pete gave him the number and hung up, the Doctor again stared at the phone. This was not going to be easy.

  
He dialed the number and waited. Soon an all-familiar voice answered.

  
“Hello?” The Meta-Crisis answered cheerfully.

  
“Hello.” The Doctor answered nervously.

  
“Who is this? Very few people have this number.”

  
“I presumed that.”

  
“Seriously, who is this? What do you want?”

  
“It’s me.”

  
“What do you mean?” There was obvious tension in his voice.

  
“I’m sorry. I never thought I would be back here…” the Doctor answered.

  
“What do you want? Why are you here?” Anger was evident in his response.

  
“I’m not here to interfere in your life, if that’s what you’re thinking,” the Doctor replied. “I just need some help with the TARDIS. And I have something very important to share with you, if you would be willing to meet me.”

  
There was a moment of silence before the meta-crisis answered. “Where are you?” He asked flatly.

  
“Darlig Ulv Stranden,” the Doctor answered.

  
“Give me ten minutes…” the meta-crisis said.

  
The Doctor smiled. “Does this mean that you were able to grow your own TARDIS and it’s working?”

  
“Yup.”

  
“Shut up!”

  
“Ten minutes…” and with that he ended the call.

  
A big grin spread across his face. They were able to grow their own TARDIS! That meant that Rose and her Doctor could travel about in their universe! It also meant that perhaps the Meta-Crisis could help him search for Gallifrey. He wondered how he would react when he found out that their planet had been saved.  
He also realized he had some explaining to do before the other Doctor arrived. He called to Clara as he re-entered the TARDIS.

  
“Clara! Help is on the way!”

  
“Great!” she said. “Now would you like to tell me exactly who is coming and why you are being so evasive about all of this?”

  
After a long pause, he sighed. “It’s complicated…”

  
“Try me,” she challenged.

  
“Ok,” he started, “during my tenth incarnation, another version of myself was created…”

  
Clara looked at him, confused and shocked. “What?”

  
“He was the result of a biological meta-crisis. Created from my hand that was severed shortly after I regenerated into my tenth self. I was shot by a Dalek during the invasion when the Earth was moved. I started to regenerate, but I was able to retain my current form by throwing the extra regeneration energy into the hand. The TARDIS was captured by the Daleks and they attempted to incinerate it. My friend Donna was still on board when that happened. Somehow in all the chaos, Donna touched the container holding my hand, and through her DNA transfer and the regeneration energy an entirely new body was formed, one with all of my thoughts and memories. A perfect copy of me, except with enough of her DNA to make the other me human. After we defeated the Daleks, he came to live here…”

  
“What? Why would he do that? And what happened to Donna?” She was curious why all this came to being, and why his companion was no longer with him.

  
“She got part of my mind during the transfer,” he told her. “It was burning up her brain. I had to remove all her memories of our time together for her to survive.” He became sad again just thinking about his old friend and how she would never remember how she had saved the universe. “She’s fine now. Got married, lives with her husband, won the lottery…”

  
“Ok…” she continued, “that still doesn’t explain why he’s here, living in a parallel universe. Was one universe not big enough for the two of you or something?”

  
“There’s a bit more…” he began, then stopped as he heard the new TARDIS materialize.

  
Clara ran out of the old TARDIS and stood on the beach, staring in disbelief. “You have got to be kidding me…”


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

  
Not far from where Clara and the Doctor stood, a blue police box appeared. It was very similar to the one that the Doctor possessed, but maybe a slightly different color of blue, perhaps a bit newer in appearance. When it had completely materialized, the door swung open with the same familiar creak. And out walked a man who appeared to be the Tenth Doctor. He was even sporting the same blue suit that he was wearing the day he was dropped off on this beach.

  
Clara remembered meeting the Tenth Doctor in the Tower of London when she was still travelling with the Eleventh Doctor. It was during that day that all the Doctors pulled together to rewrite history and keep Gallifrey from being destroyed. It was why the Twelfth Doctor, her current Doctor, was searching for the missing planet.

  
She wasn’t amazed by the fact that she was witnessing two Doctors at the same time. At this point that was old hat! She had encountered three at the same time, and then watched EVERY version of the Doctor in action. What she found so mind blowing was that this man was NOT one of those Doctors, but that he was a perfect duplicate of the other man she had met, and living here in a different universe. How did all of this happen? And why?

  
“Wow,” said the Meta-Crisis as he stepped out of his TARDIS and stared at the Doctor. “Let ourselves go a bit, did we? And what is with those eyebrows? Do they each have names, and do you have to feed them separately to keep them from fighting?”

  
“Still got a gob, I see,” scowled the Twelfth Doctor. “And I suppose there are no clothing stores in this universe?” He motioned to his apparel.

  
“Oi! I rather like this suit!” Scoffed the Meta-Crisis.

  
Clara stepped forward to try to break the tension. “Hello! I’m Clara! Nice to meet you!’

  
“Clara!” exclaimed the Meta-Crisis as he took her hand and shook it, smiling brightly. “I’m the Doctor! Well, I’m not the Doctor as you know him, but I’m still the Doctor. Doctor of this universe anyway. Very nice to meet you, although I want to say that we’ve met before…”

  
“Um, well, yes, I think so…”Clara stammered, not exactly sure if this man would have knowledge of any of her previous meetings with the Doctor, but thinking that if what her Doctor had told her, he would.

  
“Clara,” Twelve interrupted, “I need to have a word with Handy Sandshoes if you don’t mind.”

  
“Oi!” The Meta-Crisis gave him a disgusted look. “Handy! And they’re not sandshoes…”

  
“Fine,” Clara stated. “Don’t kill each other, please.” She walked back towards the old TARDIS.

  
As soon as Clara was out of earshot, the Meta-Crisis glared at the Doctor. “Alright, do you want to explain why you are here? What could possibly be so important that you were willing to rip two universes apart just to come here? Not to mention what this would do to Rose if she found out you…”

  
“Stop! I know,” the Doctor cut him off. “I was hoping to keep her from ever knowing I was here again.”

  
The Meta-Crisis looked relieved. He and Rose were very happy. They had built a life together, and had only been traveling through this universe for about a year, once the new TARDIS was ready. They had even taken their two young children a few places.

  
Life was wonderful, finally. It had taken a while for Rose to accept him as her Doctor. She was understandably angry and hurt that the Doctor had abandoned her, at least that was her perception. She had spent years trying to get back to him, and yet despite her effort, he still left her, breaking his promise. After many tear-filled nights and long talks, she had finally come to understand that the man she was with was the Doctor, only this version of him could stay with her for the rest of her life and tell her that he loved her.

  
Still, the Meta-Crisis knew that Rose would never stop loving the Doctor, no matter what version. Inwardly he wondered what she would do if she knew he was here, and he worried. It seemed ridiculous to be jealous of himself, but of course this wasn’t exactly a normal situation.

  
He also knew that the Time Lord Doctor loved Rose enough that he wouldn’t try to interfere with her life now. It had been years, maybe centuries, for him. And he was him, after all, even if he was a different version, so he had always known why he made the choice to leave them in the parallel world together. He knew that if he had left them somewhere, anywhere, in their original universe, that he would have been too tempted to check up on them, and that it would have killed him, much like it did when he watched as they kissed on the beach. Not to mention that Rose would have done anything to find the Doctor, and putting her in the parallel world prevented her from coming back now that the walls were sealed.

  
So how and why was the Doctor here if the walls were sealed?

  
“Gallifrey didn’t burn,” The Doctor smiled at the Meta-Crisis. “I saved it!’

  
“What?” shouted the Meta-Crisis, “WHAT? How is that even possible?”

  
“I went back. I changed my mind. I decided to change my history. I gathered all our past selves together and we froze Gallifrey like a stasis cube. It’s in another dimension somewhere.”

  
“What! Why, that’s brilliant! Why didn’t we think of that before?”

  
“I don’t know. It took a long time to come to that decision,” the Doctor looked him in the eye, “But the fact remains that it’s somewhere out there, waiting to be found again.”

  
“So you’re here searching for Gallifrey…but why here?”

  
“It’s not in my universe, at least it wasn’t when I checked the coordinates.”

  
“Why would you think it would be there?” The Meta-Crisis asked.

  
“The Master…she…told me that’s where it was.” The Doctor looked down.

  
“The Master? She? He’s a woman now? And alive? But how?”

  
“I encountered him again right before I regenerated from my tenth self, your duplicate. Somehow part of him survived. The Time Lords had used a signal in his head to help them bring back Gallifrey out of the time lock using a White-Point Star. The planet emerged literally right beside Earth and would have destroyed it, but I was able to break the signal and send it back. The Master went back with them. Somehow he survived again and came back to Earth as a woman this time. That mad woman, she somehow figured out how to make cybermen out of the dead using clouds of pollen that rained from the sky. The water seeped into the graves and created a whole army, and then she tried to give it to me. She said I could use it to rule the universe. I declined naturally. I gave the controls to a cyberman who somehow was able to resist her control. He ordered all the cybermen to fly up into the sky and incinerate the clouds, which of course killed them as well. Clara was going to kill Missy, but I wouldn’t let her. I contemplated killing her myself, but another cyberman appeared from nowhere and vaporized her. It turned out to be The Brigadier! Unimaginable! Before she was destroyed, she gave me the coordinates, and then asked me why I never bothered to check. Well, then I did, because for some foolish reason I believed her. But it wasn’t there.”

  
“Wow,” the Meta-Crisis was amazed. “The Master survived. I don’t believe it! And she gave you the location of Gallifrey, but it wasn’t there. And The Brigadier! That was brilliant! Flying cybermen, blimey! So you must have known that cyberman, must have trusted him enough, for him to do the right thing. Who was he?”

  
“P.E. Danny Pink,” he replied somberly. “He was Clara’s boyfriend.”

  
“Clara’s boyfriend?” The Meta-Crisis looked saddened. “He was dead?”

  
“Yes. I suspect the Master had something to do with it. She’s been manipulating Clara’s life for a while, even before I regenerated again.”

  
“So, wait a minute…”the Meta-Crisis looked at the Doctor inquisitively. “We should have run out of regenerations by now, right?”

  
“Another long story,” sighed the Doctor.

  
“All right, then,” the Meta-Crisis frowned, “you want to look for Gallifrey here. And I suppose you want to go in my TARDIS since I’m fairly certain yours won’t work here, at least not right away.”

  
“Possibly,” the Doctor answered. “Or you could help me alter the old TARDIS enough so that it can function in other dimensions. If we could combine elements from both ships, perhaps it would have an easier time going from universe to universe without completely shutting down.”

  
“Interesting, don’t you think?” the Meta-Crisis looked at him. “You were able to breach that crack? The walls have been sealed between universes for a while. Why do you think you were able to get through?”

  
“I have some theories,” the Doctor grimaced. “I suspect that if an entire planet was thrust into another universe that some of the old cracks may have re-opened. How else would the Master get through?”

  
“Or perhaps it’s not her at all,” the Meta-Crisis quipped. “Perhaps it’s the Time Lords themselves, opening the walls again, allowing for travel. If that’s the case things could get messy for everyone…”

  
“Messy indeed…” the Doctor trailed off.

  
“Well, speaking of messy…” the Meta-Crisis made an attempt at a bad segue, “Why don’t you go grab Clara and get in my TARDIS? It’s a bit cluttered at the moment, kids have left some of their toys about, but nothing too bad!”

  
“Yes! Thank you…I’ll be right back…” the Doctor responded, a bit absently. Kids…Rose was a mother. They had children together. It was everything he had hoped for her, a family, stability…so why did he feel this profound sadness?

  
He walked back to his own TARDIS, glancing at the ocean. This was the beach where he had made the decision to let her go. To be fair, he had made that decision before they landed. But this was where he had walked away, made the choice to leave her behind, to keep running and let her find happiness with someone else, even if that someone else was still him. _But he’s not you_ resounded in his head. If only it could have been him, he could be living this life with her, loving her, having children with her.

  
But it wasn’t, and it couldn’t be. Somebody had to be the guardian of the universe, and he was the last of the Time Lords. He had worlds to save. That was his curse. And because of that, he had to sacrifice his relationship with the love of his life. He had to do it. And he could never look back.

  
_Oh, River_ , he thought. _You were so right about me. I hate goodbyes. At least you knew that about me during our marriage. Rose had to learn the hard way…_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

  
The Doctor and Clara entered the new TARDIS. As he entered, the Doctor was impressed with how much it resembled the old TARDIS during his tenth incarnation. It was a bit smaller on the inside, but just as impressive.

  
“You’ve undecorated!” The Doctor joked. “I actually like it!”

  
“First time for everything!” Laughed the Meta-Crisis.

  
“Quite right!” The Doctor responded.

  
“Toys! Why are there toys everywhere?” Clara asked, a bit surprised. She started picking them up and throwing them into a nearby bin.

  
“Those belong to my children!” The Meta-Crisis stated proudly. “Absolutely brilliant, they are, even if they are a bit messy. They rather take after my mother-in-law in that category… I half-expected the TARDIS to clean up after them, but I think she likes the kid’s clutter. She’s quite fond of them!”

  
“You’re married! Why, that’s lovely!” Clara remarked brightly. “What’s your wife’s name?”

  
The Meta-Crisis’ eyes got a bit bigger, and he swallowed hard. He just realized that the Doctor hadn’t told Clara anything.

  
“Her name is Rose,” he said, trying to sound casual. He walked over to the console and began flipping switches. As he did he glanced over at the Doctor. He could see a hint of jealousy cross his face.

  
“So!” The Meta-Crisis quickly changed the subject. “I thought we could pop over to our house in Cardiff, close to the rift mind you, and I could see if I have anything that can work in the old TARDIS. Wife and the kids are in London with her mum and dad this weekend, so the place will be quiet!”

  
“Oh, what a shame!” Clara answered. “I would love to meet her and your children!’

  
The Doctor look relieved.

  
The new TARDIS made the same identical sounds as the other ship as it took off. Almost instantaneously they landed. The Meta-Crisis Doctor opened the door and the three of them stepped out onto the grass.

  
Clara and the Doctor gazed at their surroundings. In front of them was an old two-story farmhouse. The property appeared to have several acres of land, lots of trees for privacy, and a big outbuilding.

  
“We bought this place a few years ago,” the Meta-Crisis explained. “Just a bit outside of Cardiff. Lots of privacy, not a bad drive into town. It was perfect for us. Come in for some tea?”

  
“Love to!” Clara said brightly. She turned to look at the Doctor. He almost had a look of terror on his face. She leaned into him. “What’s wrong, Doctor?” She whispered.

  
“I shouldn’t be here,” he said quietly.

  
“Why? Being here with another version of yourself, it isn’t going to cause a paradox, is it? Because you’ve obviously done that before…”

  
“No…” he didn’t elaborate.

  
The inside of the farmhouse was lovely. The main living area, open to the kitchen, featured a large stone wood-burning fireplace. The décor could be best described at modern English Cottage, with white painted furniture and overstuffed sofas covered in pale denim slipcovers. Throw pillows in bold prints were scattered on the seats as well as the floor. More toys were present, although they appeared to be mostly contained to a designated play area beside the kitchen. Warm and comfortable, it was obvious a family lived here.

  
“So sorry about the mess! Wasn’t exactly expecting company,” the Meta-Crisis apologized.

  
“No worries!” Clara smiled, “I’m around children all the time!”

  
“Really?” He answered. Somehow he knew that about her.

  
“I teach at Coal Hill. I’ve also been a nanny!”

  
“Coal Hill! I’m quite familiar with Coal Hill!”

  
“Yes, I know, the Doctor told me your granddaughter went to school there.”

  
“Yes she did,” the Meta-Crisis looked out the front windows and smiled. “Susan…”

  
He paused for a moment as he thought about his granddaughter. If Gallifrey was still in existence, could that mean that Susan was still around? He glanced over at the Doctor, the other Doctor. He looked noticeably uncomfortable. Was all the discussion about Susan bothering him, or was it that he was in Rose’s house, surrounded by her things, her children’s things?

  
“I’ll just pop into the kitchen and start the tea…” the Meta-Crisis ended the discussion.

  
“If you don’t mind, I need to borrow your loo…” Clara pointed towards the back of the house.

  
“Just down the hall,” he motioned to the right of the kitchen.

  
After Clara left the room, the two Doctors converged on the kitchen. The Meta-Crisis filled the kettle and put it on the stove. The Time Lord Doctor sat on a barstool facing into the kitchen.

  
“You haven’t told her about Rose, have you?” the Meta-Crisis asked quietly.

  
“Why would I?” the Doctor frowned.

  
“Yeah, I suppose you wouldn’t have any reason until now.”

  
“There’s nothing to tell,” the Doctor replied. “That was a very long time ago.”

  
“You do know who you are talking to, don’t you?” The Meta-Crisis looked at him and raised his eyebrows. “You’re basically trying to lie to yourself.”

  
The Doctor looked down, silently acknowledging his counterpart.

  
“You did the right thing, you know,” The Meta-Crisis continued. “She’s very happy now, Rose. We both are. She was very angry and hurt for a long time. Frankly, so was I. But we worked through things together. This whole situation really enabled us to bond. And she still has her Mum, and now her Dad.”

  
“I know,” the Doctor looked up at him, “I know.”

  
“And the new TARDIS! Isn’t she beautiful? She’s still growing, it’ll take a few years for her to have a full suite of rooms, but still! We can travel again, we can explore this whole, new universe, go see what’s the same, what’s different…just like old times!” The Meta-Crisis beamed with pride.

  
“The Doctor and Rose, in the TARDIS, just as it should be…” The Doctor smiled. He had done the right thing.

  
Clara returned from the bathroom. “So, lovely place you’ve got here! And I saw pictures of your children and your wife in the hallway! Beautiful they are! How old are your kids?”

  
The Meta-Crisis looked at the Doctor, trying to be sensitive to the situation. “My girl, Sarah, she’s the oldest, she’s five. Kind and compassionate and brilliant, just like her mother. And Peter, he’s three. Mind goes a million miles an hour, that one. Quite the runner, too. Takes after me a bit.”

  
“You must be so proud!” Clara grinned at him. “Your wife, she looks so familiar to me, like I’ve seen her face before but can’t quite place it…”

  
Just then the Meta-Crisis’ mobile rang. “Oh, sorry, got to get that.” He walked down the hall towards another room as he answered.

  
“Doctor?” Clara looked up at him. “You are a hot mess, you are. What is going on with you?”

  
“Clara, I am fine.” He looked right at her, willing her to believe him.

  
“You haven’t been fine since we stepped onto that beach in Norway,” She responded. “Is there something I am missing?” She paused for a moment. “Does this have anything to do with…Rose? Is that it?”

  
“Stop now, Clara,” the Doctor warned.

  
“Wait a minute,” she said, the wheels turning in her head. “Oh my God! Now I know where I’ve seen that face! The TARDIS showed me once! She used to travel with you, didn’t she?”

  
“Stop it!”

  
“But why would you leave your companion with a copy of yourself in a parallel world?” Suddenly Clara stopped and her mouth dropped. “You were in love with her, weren’t you?”

  
The Doctor’s silence spoke volumes.

  
“Oh, Doctor…” Clara spoke softly, looking up at him. A tear fell down her cheek.

  
“It was a very, very long time ago…”

  
Clara put her hand on his back. “That took a great deal of courage, didn’t it? Because you knew you couldn’t stay with her…”

  
“Or a great deal of cowardice…” he replied softly.

  
“No, I don’t think so. Sometimes love leads us to do what’s right by others even at the expense of our own personal happiness…” Her thoughts turned to Danny and the sacrifice he made, sending back the child from the Nethersphere instead of coming back himself. She leaned into the Doctor and fell silent.

  
The Meta-Crisis came back into the room after his phone call. “That was Pete, my father-in-law. Just checking in, wanting to know what was going on. I filled him in.”

  
“Pete!” Clara regained her composure and smiled. “You named your boy after your father-in-law? That’s nice! What does Pete do?”

  
“Oh, you know,” the Meta-Crisis said thoughtfully, “Runs a multi-million dollar corporation, heads up Torchwood, nothing too spectacular…”

  
“Handy,” The Doctor looked at his counterpart, “If we’re going to make this project happen, we’d best get busy. It’s going to be dark soon.”

  
“Oi! Handy!” The Meta-Crisis glared at him.

  
“Well, what should I call you?” The Doctor asked.

  
“I’m the Doctor!” he replied.

  
“Well, so am I! Don’t you think that could get a bit confusing?”

  
“Never mind, you two!” Clara stopped the quibbling. “Go do your Doctor-y project.”

  
“Quite right,” replied the Meta-Crisis. “Clara, make yourself at home. Watch some telly. There’s food in the fridge if you like. Internet is good here. Just relax. We’ll be back soon.”

  
“And call if you need anything,” the Doctor added. “We’ll be back and forth to the old TARDIS.”

  
“All right then! Off you pop!” She bid them out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Clara woke up after drifting off on the sofa. She had fallen asleep watching the telly, which wasn’t much more exciting here than it was in her world. She stood up and stretched, then opted to grab a bottle of water from the fridge in the kitchen. She hadn’t heard from either Doctor for several hours and wondered how things were going.

  
After sitting back down with her water and flipping channels again, she stopped and leaned back. _Wow, parallel world_ , she thought. _I wonder what’s the same and what’s different?_ She knew this could be a slippery slope. Should she look? _What harm could come from looking?_ It wasn’t as if she would act on anything, right?

  
Then again, what if she found something really unpleasant? Could she handle it?

  
_I’ll just look around on the internet, just basic stuff, that’s all_ she decided. _That’s all._

  
She got up from the sofa and found her way to the office, which was just past the bathroom. She sat down at the desk and stared at the screen. The user name was already present, but it needed the password.

  
_That shouldn’t be too hard_ she thought. She typed in TARDIS.

  
Bingo. Right the first time.

  
_Bloody genius, you would think he would use a harder password_ she laughed. _Then again, he probably just sonics the computer every time he wants to get online._

  
She started out searching for rather innocuous subjects. Celebrities? Some the same, some different. Prime Minister? Nope, they have a president. Relationships between countries? Largely the same, some differences. And zeppelins instead of planes? That was interesting.

  
Then she got a little deeper. She did a search on Coal Hill School. The results revealed a website. She didn’t click on it. _I really shouldn’t go there_ she said.  
_Ok, should I do a search on myself?_ She thought. _I know the Doctor had told me that he had met me in a lot of different places, different versions of me. Did one of them wind up here in the parallel world? Ok, whatever I find, I can handle this._

  
She typed in ‘Clara Oswald’ into the search bar.

  
There were far too many results, so she narrowed the search: ‘Clara Oswald, Blackpool.”

  
She found several results, but the one that matched the closest shocked her.

  
It was an obituary.

  
“Oh my God,” She whispered and covered her mouth.

  
She had been hit by a car as she was walking across the street.

  
And she had been a teacher at Coal Hill.

  
“No, no, no, no, no! This can’t be right!” she cried.

  
And then it occurred to her…what if Danny were still alive here, in this universe?

  
_I can’t_ she thought. _I just can’t. It doesn’t matter. I’m not supposed to be here. I’m only travelling through. He wouldn’t be the same man anyway. I’m not even going to look. I’m not going to look._

  
She sat there for several minutes, tears streaming down her face.

  
And then she typed in his name…’Danny Pink, Coal Hill School.’

  
She waited several more minutes, trying to talk herself out of hitting ‘enter’. _I can’t do this, I can’t do this, I can’t do this_ …she repeated to herself, over and over.  
And then she hit search.

  
And there he was.

  
She immediately deleted the search, turned off the computer and stood up. She was shaking.

  
She ran from the office, out the front door of the farmhouse and stood on the covered porch. She began to sob uncontrollably. She continued out into the yard and looked up at the stars in the night sky.

  
“Why?” she yelled, pain and grief evident in her question. “This is not fair!”

  
Only with the Doctor was this possible. You can lose the love of your life, go try to rescue him like Orpheus did Eurydice, only to fail as Orpheus did, and then have the same carrot dangled in front of your face again. He was right there but yet she knew it wasn’t really him, the same Danny that she knew, but what if he had the same relationship with his Clara that she had with her Danny? He would be hurting as well, right? And in some way, deep down inside, could it be possible that he is somehow the same man? And should she tell the Doctor what she knows? Would he try to talk her out of making contact with this man? Especially since he is trying to keep his presence here low-key? And even if she did meet Danny, would he freak out? Think she was crazy? That seemed pretty valid given the circumstances.

  
_Hello, I’m Clara Oswald. No, I’m not your Clara, back from the dead, I’m Clara from a parallel universe. My Danny was killed and then turned into a cyberman, and then he saved the world but he was burned up in the process. I’m here with a friend in a flying police box that travels through time and space. You want to get a drink?_

  
Yeah, completely plausible.

  
_Breathe,_ Clara she told herself. She had to gain her composure if she was going to think rationally. She didn’t know when the Doctors would return, but she needed to make a decision as to what she was going to say to either of them when they got back. And she had to think with her head and not her heart, and that was going to be nearly impossible. _I have to think_ she told herself. _I have to…_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

  
As the two Doctors worked on converting the old TARDIS into a ship that could function in multiple universes, the original Doctor filled in the Meta-Crisis on everything that had happened to him since he left him on parallel earth. He told him of the last days of his tenth incarnation and saying goodbye to as many of his companions as possible, including his tearful goodbye to Rose who saw him as a drunken stranger on New Year’s Eve. He told him about meeting his beloved Amy Pond, first as a child and then as an adult. He talked about Rory, Amy’s husband, and about all the times the two of them saved each other’s lives, right until the weeping angels took them away in the end. He even filled him in about River Song, a story the Meta-Crisis was not only curious about after all these years, but amazed by the complexity.

  
“Did you love her?” The Meta-Crisis asked.

  
“Love is a promise,” the Doctor stated evasively. “Hard to make a promise when you know the ending.”

  
He then told the Meta-Crisis about Clara, his impossible girl, and how he had met so many different versions of her. He told her about how she had jumped into his time stream to save him from The Great Intelligence and how she had been there for almost every version of himself.

  
“No wonder she seems so familiar…” the Meta-Crisis replied.

  
He talked about all the adventures. The giant crack. The crash of the Byzantium. Space pirates. The Pandorica. The Silence. More Cybermen. The Weeping Angels. His temporary retirement and living with the Pasternoger Gang. His battle on Trenzalore which lasted hundreds of years and aged his eleventh self until he almost died of old age. The Time Lords granting him a new set of regenerations. The TARDIS getting swallowed by a dinosaur. More clockwork robots. Going inside a Dalek. And the return of the Master of course.

  
“I’ve lived over 2000 years now,” The Doctor reflected. “Sometimes I think I’ve lived too long. But…I do still love the adventure.”

  
“Yeah…” The Meta-Crisis sighed. “That’s what I missed the most, being stuck on one planet. It was hard. I was quite down for a while…besides the fact that Rose didn’t immediately accept me. We were both a basket case. But I think that the two of us were able to help each other learn to cope with our situation. It brought us closer together. Once she grew to understand that I was still her Doctor she really began to heal. And of course once we got the piece of TARDIS to start growing we both knew that we could eventually travel again.”

  
“Then we started a new adventure for both of us…a proper courtship with dating and the whole bit, marriage…and wearing a tux without anything bad happening except for Jackie screaming about the flowers not being good enough…and then the birth of our children. It was frightening and wonderful all at the same time, being a dad again. I always took the greatest joy in seeing the world through the eyes of our companions, but it doesn’t come close to the joy I see every day watching my kids discover the world. I have never loved two humans more than I love them. Well, except for Rose of course. And she is the best mother imaginable. She is kind and affectionate, but firm when she needs to be. And they absolutely adore her.”

  
The Doctor smiled proudly. He marveled at how truly bittersweet it was to learn about Rose and her life after his departure. Leaving her a second time, on purpose no less, had been one of the hardest things he had ever done, but he knew ultimately it was the right thing to do. She had everything she ever wanted…and yet, he could never be a part of that joy. He had made this sacrifice for her, and somehow, after all this time, it still hurt.

  
“This should about do it!” The Meta-Crisis proclaimed as he finished the wiring. “Shall we give it a test run? Perhaps just move it to my house?”

  
“Yes,” answered the Doctor. “Let’s just hope it doesn’t blow up in the process.”

  
“Well, then!” The Meta-Crisis responded. “I’ll give you the coordinates, run to my TARDIS and meet you there! Allons-y!”

  
A few minutes later, both the TARDISs materialized at the farmhouse. It had worked! The two Doctors emerged from their ships, laughing joyfully and congratulating each other on their brilliance. Instead of a week, it had only taken about six hours.

  
“Well, Doctor,” smiled the proper Doctor, “I thank you for your help. I’ll just go collect Clara and we’ll be on our way. And I will keep in touch. If I find Gallifrey you will be the first to know.”

  
“Thank you, for everything,” the Meta-Crisis said as he turned to him. “Not just for letting me know about Gallifrey, but for this.” He motioned around him. “I know the decision you made was difficult, but I promise you, it was the right decision. Rose is happy here. We are happy here.”

  
“Send her my…” the Doctor hesitated.

  
“I will,” he smiled. “Still can’t say it, can you?”

  
“Does it need saying?”

  
“Well…” The Meta-Crisis drew out the word.

  
The two men entered the farmhouse to find Clara in a ball on the sofa. She had been crying.

  
“Clara!” The Doctor rushed to her side. “Why the tears?”

  
“He’s here. He’s here and he’s alive…” Clara had decided to reveal her discovery.

  
“What? Who’s here? What are you talking about?” The Meta-Crisis looked concerned.

  
“Clara, I hope you didn’t try to make contact,” warned the Doctor.

  
“You didn’t, did you? Clara, the consequences of interfering in the parallel world could be dangerous!” The Meta-Crisis was equally insistent.

  
“I didn’t do anything,” Clara answered tearfully. “Not yet. I just looked him up on the internet. He’s a teacher at Coal Hill, just like in our world. But…he’s alive. And I’m…dead. Gone. Hit by a car only a few weeks ago. They were together, well, at least teaching together just like we were…but now he’s alone, just like I am…”

  
“Clara, you can’t,” The Doctor told her. “You can’t just magically appear in his life. You don’t even know if they had the same relationship that the two of you had. How do you think he’s going to react?”

  
“He’s right, Clara,” The Meta-Crisis agreed. “The parallel world is a gingerbread house, full of temptations. You can’t just walk into someone’s life here and expect them to accept you. Rose had to learn that the hard way with her father.”

  
“That’s right,” The Doctor added. “Her father died in her world. When she met her father here, he didn’t accept her. He never had a daughter in this universe.”

  
“But wait!” Clara frowned. “He’s accepted her now, right, I assume? And what about her mother? Is her proper mother still in our universe, wondering what the hell happened to her daughter?”

  
Both Doctors looked at each other. “Well…” The Meta-Crisis stammered. “The Jackie Tyler that was married to Pete Tyler in this world was killed in a cyberman incident. Long story…then in the Battle of Canary Wharf the Jackie Tyler from your world met the Pete Tyler from this world and, well…”

  
“Well? Well what?” Clara stared at him.

  
“Uh…they decided to stay together in this world,” the Doctor replied sheepishly.

  
Clara looked dumbfounded. “So…you’re telling me that I shouldn’t go try to find Danny because it would cause all kinds of problems, but yet Pete and Jackie Tyler are from two different universes, both of them lost each other in their respective worlds, and yet somehow they managed to wind up together? Are you kidding me?”

  
The conversation came to a halt with the sound of a car pulling up to the house.

  
“It’s two in the morning, who could that be?” the Meta-Crisis looked bewildered. Then his eyes grew wide.

  
“What? What’s going on?” Clara turned and looked at both Doctors.

  
The Doctor got very quiet. “This can’t be happening…”

  
“Why is she here? Why would she come home in the middle of the night from London?” The Meta-Crisis panicked.

  
“Should we hide?” Clara asked quickly.

  
“Hide?” The Doctor groaned. “There are two TARDISs in front of the house. It’s a bit late for hiding!”

  
The three of them stood there, frozen, as a car door slammed and the sound of someone running to the front door resonated outside in the night. The door opened and a very angry blonde woman entered the house.

  
“Does someone mind telling me what the hell is going on?” yelled a distraught Rose Tyler-Smith.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

  
“Rose!” The Meta-Crisis smiled at his wife, meeting her at the door and trying to diffuse the situation. “I was going to call you in the morning, but we were a little busy…”

  
Rose would have none of it. “Are you seriously going to tell me that you were NOT trying to hide this from me? How could you!”

  
“Rose, I am so, so sorry. This all happened so fast and…how did you find out?”

  
“I heard my dad telling my mum. And did you really think my mum could keep a secret? She’s not exactly quiet. When I confronted my dad, he told me the truth. So I borrowed his car and drove here straight away!”

  
Rose looked passed her husband at the stranger who stood in her living room... except he was no stranger. His face was different, but she knew exactly who he was. She walked towards him hesitantly.

  
“Doctor…” she became quiet as she stared into his eyes. “It’s really you?”

  
The Doctor looked at Rose. He couldn’t believe how absolutely beautiful she was. And here he was, standing in front of her again. All those years he had wished he could break down the walls between universes, all those nights he had dreamt of seeing her again, and here she stood, as breathtaking as ever. He could hardly speak.

  
“Rose…” he whispered.

  
“You’ve regenerated,” she looked into his eyes. They were so much older. He looked so much older this time around.

  
“A couple of times,” he replied.

  
“How long has it been for you?” she asked, still in disbelief that he was standing in front of her.

  
“Almost 1100 years.”

  
Her facial expression changed from disbelief to anger. “How could you just leave like that? After all that time I spent searching for you? Risking my life? And you just dumped me off and left! You didn’t even ask me what I wanted, no! You decided for me! How could you do that to me?”

  
“Rose…” the Doctor tried to answer, guilt all over his face, when the Meta-Crisis interrupted.

  
“Rose, can I talk to you privately, please?” he pleaded, looking at his counterpart. He put his arm around his wife’s shoulders.

  
She answered, still glaring at the Doctor. “Yeah.”

  
As they started to walk back to the office, Rose stopped and turned to Clara. “So sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m Rose Tyler-Smith. Nice to meet you…?”

  
“Clara Oswald,” Clara smiled and answered. “Very nice to meet you. Lovely home.”

  
“Thanks…” Rose replied as she continued down the hall with her husband.

  
After the couple closed the door behind them, Clara turned to the Doctor. “Well, this got a bit domestic, didn’t it?”

  
The Doctor stood solemnly and didn’t answer.

  
“I’ve never seen you like this before, Doctor,” her demeanor changed, sadness on her face. “This can’t be easy.”

  
“I’m fine,” he stated bluntly.

  
“I know,” she gazed at him. She knew better.

  
A minute later, the Meta-Crisis and Rose returned to the living room. Rose was visibly shaken but calm.

  
“Listen,” she stated, “It’s late. I think we could all benefit from a bit of shut-eye. We can all talk in the morning. Clara, you’re welcome to sleep in the office, there’s a pull-out in there. Doctor, I assume you will stay in your TARDIS, unless you plan on taking off unexpectedly…”

  
“Rose,” the Meta-Crisis nudged her.

  
“I’m not going anywhere yet,” the Doctor looked into her eyes.

  
Rose was temporarily taken aback by his gaze. She couldn’t believe after all this time that he could still have that effect on her. The Meta-Crisis could sense their unspoken communication and grabbed his wife’s hand, a twinge of jealousy showing with his reaction.

  
“Let’s go upstairs,” The Meta-Crisis said to Rose, giving a fleeting glance at the Doctor. “Good night.”

  
“Good night!” Clara said politely.

  
After the couple retreated to their room upstairs, Clara turned to her Doctor again. “We’ll get it all sorted tomorrow. We just need to sleep on it.”

  
“You need to think very carefully about your decision, Clara,” the Doctor advised.

  
“Like you did?” she replied pointedly.

  
“I made the right decision,” he said, looking up the stairs. He turned and headed out the front door. “Good night.”

  
“Good night, Doctor,” Clara said as he pulled the door behind him.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

  
Upstairs in the farmhouse, the Meta-Crisis Doctor and Rose sat beside each other in their bed. It was obvious neither of them were going to get much sleep that night. Rose sat with her arms folded, staring straight ahead. The Meta-Crisis looked over at her and begun hesitantly to plead his case.

  
“Rose, I am so, so sorry. I got his call this late afternoon. It came as a complete shock to me. He’s looking for Gallifrey. Apparently all of my past selves gathered together and somehow managed to send it into a pocket universe somewhere. They changed our history! My planet is still out there somewhere. That’s how he wound up here, he was trying to find the pocket!”

  
“Gallifrey’s still around?” she was genuinely shocked. “He didn’t destroy it? How is that possible? And how did you, well, he not remember that? Because when I met you the first time, you were still very dark and angry about the Time War. I don’t understand.”

  
“It had something to do with the timelines crossing that caused us to forget,” he replied. “This change happened during my eleventh selves’ timeline, so from that point on he’s been searching.”

  
Rose sat quietly for a moment. She had been angry since she had discovered that the Time Lord Doctor was back on their world and that everyone in her family had tried to hide it from her. She was angry enough to take her dad’s car and drive through the night back home. And seeing him again, after all this time…so many emotions flooded her mind. She had loved this man for so long. She had crossed universes just to find him again, even purposely altered a timeline just to insure that he lived. She was so certain that they would finally be together, that the forever she had promised him would happen.

  
And then he left her. He left without saying goodbye, without a really good explanation. He gave her no choice in the matter. She felt so betrayed, so hurt. She thought that he loved her. Was she wrong?

  
Over time, however, she grew to understand his decision. As she spent more and more time with her New Doctor, she realized that he really was her Doctor, the Doctor. His body, identical to her Doctor’s body in almost every way (except for the human elements) was merely a vessel. His mind, his memories, his feelings were her Doctor’s. The biggest difference was that this Doctor was willing and able to make an emotional commitment to her. He could say I love you. He wanted to spend the rest of his human life with her.

  
She was happy with her life. Really happy. She truly loved her new Doctor. After she accepted him for what he was, their relationship was exactly as it had been before. Only now, there was no question in her mind that he really did love her. Oh, and the physical part was amazing.

  
Eventually this led her to the biggest realization of all…that her original Doctor loved her so much that he was willing to sacrifice his own happiness to ensure that she had a life with some part of him. He was a Time Lord, the last one, at least to his knowledge at the time. He was the keeper of the universe. Without him, whole planets and civilizations would perish. He could never be the man she needed, could never give himself over to her fully. So he gave her what he could, knowing full well that he would never be able to see her again. This realization just made her love him even more, and hurt for him more deeply.

  
She knew that some part of her would always love her first Doctor, and she worried about him being alone. Her heart broke for him each time she thought about this. She wondered how many years since they had been apart he had spent by himself, and she was grateful that he currently had a companion. Perhaps he had moved on. It was time that she moved on as well.

  
As angry as she had been with her husband, she knew why he hadn’t told her the other Doctor was here. She knew that he knew she still had feelings for him, and he was jealous. Well, jealous may be a strong word. Protective was probably more accurate. They had built a life together, one that they both cherished. He didn’t want the other Doctor to waltz in and steal her away. After all, he had been there first.

  
So Rose knew she had to tamp down her anger and focus on reassuring her husband that everything would be all right, that he had no reason to worry. She turned to him and looked him in the eye.

  
“Doctor,” she began, “you know why I was so angry earlier, right?”

  
“I do, Rose, and again I am so…”

  
“It’s okay. I understand. I really, really understand.”

  
He sighed. “Rose, I’m not in the habit of keeping secrets from you.”

  
“I know. I really do know that.”

  
She reached up and touched his face. “I’m not going anywhere, not ever. You do know that, don’t you?”

  
He smiled at her. “Yes.”

  
“I love you. You. You don’t need to worry.”

  
“I love you too. More that you can ever imagine.”

  
“I have a pretty good idea,” she smiled back at him. She leaned towards him and kissed him gently, then snuggled into his side. “This is just a tough situation for everyone involved. I don’t think any of us thought this day would come.”

  
“Quite right,” he added. “Thank you for understanding.”

  
“Understanding?” She snickered. “Time travel, parallel worlds, aliens, what’s not to understand?”

  
“Rose Tyler-Smith,” he said as he kissed the top of her head, “you are simply brilliant, you know that?”

  
“Well, I do my best, Dr. Smith,” she teased him with his alias.

  
As they both felt better about the situation, they settled into bed and turned out the lights. While Rose drifted off, she thought again of her life now with this wonderful man who promised her forever. She thought about her children and about how much she loved them. And then…she thought about the Doctor, her previous Doctor. Why did he have to come back into her life again, after all these years, when she thought she was finally over him? She couldn’t help but cry a few silent tears as she went to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

  
The Time Lord Doctor sat in a leather chair in the TARDIS console room, face in his hands and elbows on his knees. All his thoughts of finding his planet and the work he and the other Doctor had done to make his ship compatible with this universe were gone. His mind was focused on one thing, one person, only: Rose.

  
 _She was so beautiful_ ,  _just as I remembered her_  he thought. _And so angry with me..._

  
The man who kept on running and never looked back was second-guessing himself. Had he made the right choice? Should he have let Rose decide what she wanted to do all those years ago?

  
_Why am I doing this?_ He shook his head. _I know that I made the right decision. She has everything she ever wanted._

  
And yet all he wanted to do was put her in his TARDIS and run away to the other universe.

  
Of course he wouldn’t really do that. She had children who needed her…

  
Children! She has children! He always knew she would make a wonderful mother. What a life that would be: to have children with the woman you love, watched as she held them, played with them, taught them about everything wonderful, took them to the stars…a family to love. He didn’t even care much for children in this incarnation, but if they had been his children…he could probably change his mind about that.

  
_I am going to stop this!_ He yelled in his head. Thinking about the possibilities of what could have been was pointless. And it hurt too much, even now. As much as he wished sometimes that he had been the one who stayed behind, he knew…

  
And his worst fears about how she felt about him leaving had come to fruition and stared him in the face. What reaction did he think she would have? Of course she was angry and hurt.

  
He had just hoped, after all this time, that she would have forgiven him.

  
But whatever her reaction, he had to accept it, and probably deserved it. This was exactly why he didn’t want to see her again. He never wanted to face the consequences.

  
And Rose hating him was almost too much to bear.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

  
The next morning, Clara woke up thinking about Danny. She knew that the man who existed on this world was not her Danny. The Clara that he had known was not her (well, at least not this her…it was possible it was some version of herself.) She had listened to what both Doctors had said as well, that interactions in the parallel world could have unintended consequences.

  
But deep in her heart, she knew what she wanted to do, and if she didn’t at least try, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

  
But how was she going to make this happen? She was stuck here on the outskirts of Cardiff. How would she get to London? She knew that if she was going to contact Danny she would absolutely have to see him in person because he would never believe who she was if she simply called. He would probably think one of his students was playing a cruel joke on him.

  
So somehow she was going to have to convince the Doctor to take her there. Or steal a car.

  
At this point she wasn’t certain which option would be easier.

  
Clara looked at the time on her cell phone…it was barely five in the morning, and still dark outside. Too anxious to sleep anymore, she got up from the sleeper bed and slipped on a dressing gown she found in the office closet. After visiting the bathroom, she shuffled into the kitchen to make some tea.

  
She found a kettle on the stove and filled it. After putting it on the burner, she started opening cabinets to look for the tea. It wasn’t long before she heard someone coming down the stairs. It was Rose.

  
“Looking for the tea?” she asked quietly.

  
“Sorry, yes,” Clara replied. “I wasn’t trying to be nosy. I just didn’t want to wake anyone.”

  
“No worries!” Rose smiled. “I wasn’t sleeping anyway. I guess you weren’t either.”

  
“No, guess not,” Clara smiled back.

  
“So, you travel with the Doctor now?” Rose continued the conversation as she reached into an upper cabinet and grabbed the tea.

  
“Yes, for quite a while now,” Clara responded. “I was with him before he regenerated.”

  
“Really? So you knew the Doctor right after my Doctor,” Rose replied wistfully. “What was he like then?”

  
“Oh, he was wonderful!” Clara’s eyes sparkled. “He was young, floppy haired, wiry. Loved bow ties and fezzes. A bit childlike. Couldn’t talk without waving his hands about.”

  
Rose grinned. “Fancy him a bit, did you?”

  
Clara looked down. “Well, I might have at one time, but we were always just great friends.”

  
Rose thought about how she would have felt about him after yet another regeneration. He had purposely avoided regenerating for her once, which ultimately led to the creation of the man who became her husband. In her heart, though, she knew she would have loved him regardless of his appearance. Although hard to accept at first, she learned to love her “new” Doctor just as much (if not more) than her first Doctor.

  
“My first Doctor had just come back from the Time War,” Rose continued. “He was dark, a bit angry. The type you look at and think you shouldn’t mess with him. Wore a black leather jacket and kept his hair really short. But once you got to know him you knew there was something amazing about him.”

  
“So were you there when your first Doctor regenerated?” Clara asked.

  
“Oh yes,” Rose looked away as she recalled all the events that lead to that moment. “I was so scared and confused. I obviously didn’t understand what was going on. But the Doctor took my hand and told me he was still the same man. It took a while for me to understand that. But in time I knew he was still my Doctor.”

  
“It was hard for me too,” Clara added. “He told me what was going to happen. I knew he could change his face because I had met all of his previous selves. But I didn’t want him to change. But of course nothing could stop him at that point. He was so different this time! He was much older looking, and gruff! And he could be a bit crass at times. But over time I have grown quite fond of him. Deep down inside I know he’s the same man.”

  
Rose looked perplexed. “You’ve met all the other Doctors? How did you manage that?”

  
“Long story.”

  
“So, I guess you met my Doctors?”

  
“Yes! Well, in a way.” Clara didn’t really want to explain the whole ‘jumping into the Doctor’s time stream’ event. She did remember something of note, though…”I did meet your Doctor, well, the one that’s the copy of your husband, or the other way around, not sure how to refer to him…anyway, my previous Doctor and your Doctor were pulled together along with the War Doctor, the one who ended the Time War. The War Doctor had a weapon called The Moment which he stole from the Time Lords. The three of them were going to push the button to activate the weapon together, but at the last minute the War Doctor came up with a plan to freeze Gallifrey and save it in a pocket universe. Every Doctor, including my current Doctor, came to help. They used all their TARDISs to orbit the planet and with calculations they had been doing for years somehow managed to pull it off. That’s probably a completely rubbish way of explaining it…”

  
“No, it’s ok, my Doctor told me a little bit about it,” Rose assured her.

  
“But long story short, yes I met your Doctor. He was quite charming. Got himself in a bit of trouble, though, and had to marry Queen Elizabeth the First. I was at the wedding!”

  
“Really!” Rose laughed heartily. “Doesn’t surprise me at all. Women always did flock to him. Especially those royal types…and where was Donna Noble? She was with him when he left here.”

  
Clara remembered something the Doctor had told her earlier about a woman named Donna. She decided not to tell her what she knew for a number of reasons, primarily because she didn’t know how Rose would react and she thought she’d had enough emotional turmoil for now. “I don’t know her. Honestly, I didn’t even who you were until I got here.”

  
“Doesn’t surprise me,” Rose said as she picked up the kettle from the stove. She had set two cups on the counter and proceeded to pour water in both. “I once met one of his companions from a long time ago. Sarah Jane Smith. I didn’t know anything about her until the day I met her. Boy was that an eye opener. Made me realize a lot about the Doctor that I didn’t know.”

  
“Like what?” Clara asked as she prepared her tea.

  
“That the Doctor doesn’t look back. That it’s too painful.”

  
“Yeah, I’ve started to figure that out,” Clara responded, looking down in her cup. She thought about her encounter with River Song at Trenzalore. She had only heard about River briefly from the Doctor, but came to learn that not only was she a woman, but that she had been his wife. If he wouldn’t even share details about someone he married with her, how must he have felt about a woman that he left with a perfect copy of himself, complete with all the same memories and feelings?

  
Rose continued, looking out into her living room. “I asked him after meeting Sarah Jane if he was going to dump me off somewhere like he did to her, and he said he wouldn’t. He even asked me once how long I was going to stay with him. I told him forever, and he looked at me and smiled. We were truly happy together. We would go on adventures, saving people, seeing the most wonderful things, laughing until it hurt. It all changed when we were separated at Canary Wharf. We were battling cybermen and Daleks who had figured out how to travel between universes through the void. The Doctor figured out a way to suck them all into the void and close the gap. Unfortunately I was almost pulled into the void myself. If it hadn’t been for my dad making a jump from the parallel world to grab me before I was sucked in I would have died. I felt like I had died anyway, being separated forever from the Doctor. He found a way to say goodbye to me, with a hologram he projected through a tiny crack left in the universe in Norway. That’s when I finally told him that I was in love with him.”

  
Clara looked over at Rose and noticed a single tear running down her cheek. “That’s where we landed, on a beach in Norway,” she said quietly.

  
“I hate that bloody beach,” Rose half-whispered.

  
Clara wanted to know. “What did he say when you told him you loved him?”

  
“His image faded before he could say it, but I know now he was going to tell me he loved me too.”

  
Clara was a bit stunned. “How do you know?”

  
“Because after I found my way back to him, after all those years, we wound up on that same beach, this time with the man who is my husband now, my Doctor. I won’t even begin to explain how that happened.”

  
“It’s okay, the Doctor already told me that part.”

  
“So you know that my Doctor has all the same thoughts and memories?”

  
“Yes.”

  
“So when he started to leave us on that beach, I confronted him. Asked him why, after I had worked all those years to get back to him, that he was leaving me. He told me that the other Doctor was too dangerous to be left on his own, that I had made him better, and now I could do the same for the new Doctor. I tried to make him answer the question, I wanted to know how he would have finished the sentence he couldn’t finish all those years ago: if he loved me. He told me it didn’t need saying. But the new Doctor, my Doctor, he finished the sentence. He told me what I needed to hear all those years ago. I was so overcome with emotion that I kissed him. That’s when the Doctor left. He didn’t even say goodbye.”

  
Clara didn’t even know how to respond. “I can’t even imagine how hurt you must have been.”

  
“Hurt, betrayed, angry. I ran the gamut. It was the worst feeling imaginable. But as bad as it was for me, after a while I realized that it must have been devastating for my new Doctor. He had been unceremoniously dumped off in a parallel universe, without his TARDIS for the first time in his life with only the explanation that he was too dangerous to be left on his own. I may lost the love of my life, but this man lost his home and the only existence he had known for most of his life. Over time the experience really helped us bond. And as I got to know this man, I understood that he was exactly like my Doctor in almost every way.”

  
“So what was different?” Clara asked.

  
“This man wasn’t afraid to tell me that he loved me. That he would stay with me no matter what. That he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, and would do anything to make that happen. And because of that, I fell in love with him all over again.”

  
Clara was deeply moved by Rose’s story. It made her think again about Danny, and she fought back the urge to cry. The Doctor had loved this woman so much that he had sacrificed his own happiness to make sure she had the life she deserved. And Danny had done the same, sending back the boy from the other side instead of coming back himself.

  
“It must be unbelievable, having the Doctor come back all of a sudden,” Clara stammered, clearing her throat. She was trying to keep her emotions in check. “Do you still love him?”

  
Rose looked at Clara and then sat down on a barstool. It was a fair question, but very hard for her to talk about. She had moved on, never thinking this day would come. And yet, he was here. In the early days, before she really gave her new Doctor much of a chance, she would have given anything to go with her old Doctor, even as angry as she had been with him that day on the beach. But now, she wouldn’t trade her life with her husband and family for anything. He was the same man, only better.

  
But did she still love him?

  
“Some part of me will always love him,” Rose smiled. “How can I not love him? He changed my life. He showed me a better way of living, made me a better person. And of course part of him is still here with me. They are the same man, after all. So yes, I do. I will the rest of my life.”

  
“I think he was very worried about how you would react if you found out about him being here,” Clara sat down beside her.

  
“I know he never intended to come back here,” Rose stared down again at her cup. “As far as my reaction, I’m not sure what he was expecting.”

  
“I think that’s why he was trying not to see you,” Clara stated. “The man who keeps on running, never looking back. It hurts him too much.”

  
“It hurts other people too,” Rose replied, a hint of resentment in her voice. “I think Sarah Jane was pretty bitter for a long time. Worried, too. I know I’ve worried about him. Worried about him being alone, getting hurt or killed. Being imprisoned by his enemies. There are a lot of species out there that want him dead.”

  
“But I know why he does it,” she sighed, her demeanor changing. “He has to. He’s the Last of the Time Lords. If it weren’t for him, whole worlds would be destroyed. He’s had to sacrifice so much just to keep the universe safe.”

  
“His companions have had to sacrifice a lot too,” Clara looked at Rose and reached for her hand.

  
“Yeah,” Rose gave her a sad smile.

  
After a moment, Clara smiled and patted Rose’s hand. “Well, we’re a pathetic lot, the two of us!”

  
“Quite right!” Rose laughed. She looked up at the kitchen clock. “I really should be going back to London soon. My mum and dad are probably worried about me. And if I leave soon maybe my children won’t know that I was gone. Still, they do like to get up early. Course, my little brother usually watches out for them in the morning. He lets the grown-ups sleep in when we visit.”

  
_She’s driving to London soon_ Clara thought to herself. _This may be my only chance to do this. But I need to know a few more things…_

  
“So, the Doctors told me that your mum is from our world and your dad is from this world. That your real dad died and his wife here died. And now the two of them are together and have a son?”

  
“Yeah,” Rose smiled as she thought of them. “It was a miracle. Like it was supposed to happen. The two of them, finding each other, it was amazing. They both got a second chance at happiness. And Tony, my brother, he is such a great kid.”

  
“Did they have any trouble accepting each other? You know, since they weren’t really the other person?” Clara continued.

  
“Maybe a little. My mum lost my dad when I was a baby, so it had been a long time for her. My dad, well, my new dad, it had only been a few years. It was pretty surreal. But I think the fact that they were so happy to see each other again, to get another chance to be together, in the end that’s all that mattered to them.”

  
“And the Doctor was ok with all this?” Clara asked.

  
“Ok with it? He set them up!” Rose chuckled.

  
“Really…” Clara drew out the word.

  
“Why do you ask?” Rose inquired.

  
Clara made her decision. “Listen, I really need to go to London. This London. Can I go with you?”

  
Rose looked surprised. “Uh, sure. But why do you need to go to this London?”

  
“I’ll explain in the car,” Clara replied.

  
“But what about the Doctor?” Rose got and put her cup in the sink. “Are you going to tell him where you are going? I thought you two were leaving soon.”

  
Clara stood. “He can wait. I’ll call him later.” Then Clara paused as she started to leave the room. “Were you going to talk to him again, the Doctor, you know, my Doctor?”

  
Rose hesitated. “I think it would be better if I didn’t at this point.”

  
“All right then,” Clara sighed, a new determination showing on her face. “When do you want to leave?”

  
“Give me five minutes,” Rose said as she walked back up the stairs.

  
“I’ll be ready.”


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

  
The Doctor woke up with a start when he heard a knock on the TARDIS door. _I must have dozed off for a moment_ he thought. _Very unusual for a Time Lord._ He concluded it was about seven in the morning. Even in a parallel world his sense of time was spot on.

  
He opened the door to the Meta-Crisis Doctor, who was somewhat distraught. “Is Clara with you?”

  
“No, I thought she was still in the house,” the Doctor replied.

  
“Well, she’s not,” answered the Meta-Crisis. “And I have a pretty good idea where she is!”

  
“Care to elaborate?”

  
“Rose left this morning,” the Meta-Crisis continued. “She needed to get back to the kids. I think she took Clara with her to London.”

  
“Well why would she do that?” The Doctor was more than annoyed at this point.

  
“Why do you think?” The Meta-Crisis replied sarcastically.

  
The Doctor thought for a second and then frowned. “P.E. She’s going to try to find P.E.!”

  
“Rose…” The Meta-Crisis trailed off. “She had to know this was a bad idea!”

  
“But not without precedent!” The Doctor smiled. “Rose is simply following an example that we set for her years ago…” Inwardly he was beaming. His Rose was a romantic at heart, just like he was. He was responsible for uniting Pete and Jackie, and now she was trying to do the same for Clara.

  
“Pete and Jackie!” The Meta-Crisis proclaimed as he smiled as well. “I guess we did make that happen, didn’t we?”

  
“Yes we did,” the Doctor looked at his counterpart. “And now Clara is willing to take that chance as well.”

  
“Can she handle the consequences if it doesn’t work the way she thinks it should?” The Meta-Crisis asked quietly.

  
“She’ll be fine,” the Doctor reassured him. “She is strong.”

  
The Doctor called Clara on her mobile. “Finally awake I see?” she teased him when she picked up.

  
“You sure about all this?” He asked her, already knowing the answer. When Clara wanted something, she would go to any lengths necessary to make it happen. He briefly recalled the incident with the TARDIS keys and the volcano.

  
“Oh yes,” she replied happily. “And Rose is going to help me! She has been wonderful. Now I know why you care for her so much!” She turned and smiled at Rose who was driving. Rose glanced over and smiled back with a sad smile.

  
The Doctor also smiled sadly. “You’ll keep in touch and let me know what you plan on doing?”

  
“Of course! No worries!”

  
“No worries,” he repeated. “We’ll talk soon.”

  
“Soon,” she assured him. “Goodbye Doctor.”

  
“Goodbye,” he said as he hung up.

  
After a moment of awkward silence, the two Doctors looked at each other.

  
“So…” the Meta-Crisis began, “Two Time Lords, well, one part Time Lord, one full Time Lord, a practically new TARDIS, new universe to explore, time to kill…and if you’re anything like me, well, I suppose that goes without saying because for all practical purposes you are me, you’re probably starving! I know a place on this earth in the 1950’s that was famous for their giant pancakes! A place in Kansas, in America! Should we give it a go?”

  
The Doctor looked at him and grinned. “Why not!”

  
The two Doctors exited the proper TARDIS and headed for the new TARDIS. “They can make you banana pancakes if you ask nicely…” the Meta-Crisis quipped enthusiastically as he shut the door.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

  
Clara found herself in front of Danny’s flat.

  
She and Rose had gone to her parent’s mansion, greeted her children, her kid brother and her mum (who understandably had a million questions) and had done a quick internet search on Danny. Rose was able to find his Facebook page through her account and despite finding a few pictures of Clara and many condolences, it was difficult to determine the extent of their relationship. Clara was also able to hack into the Coal Hill school account and get his address.

  
On the drive from Cardiff to London, Clara and Rose exchanged stories about their adventures with the Doctor. They were both truly amazed by the places the other had been and the things they had done. Clara also went into greater detail about her Danny: that he had not really approved of her relationship with the Doctor and vice versa. That she tried to trick the Doctor into going back in time to save Danny, but that he told her he would try to find him anyway regardless of her betrayal. She told her that Danny had been killed right after she had told him that she loved him as she talked to him on his mobile, and that the Master (who was now Missy) had done it to launch a giant plan to make cybermen out of the dead and mess with the Doctor. She continued, telling her about how Missy’s plot was foiled because Danny’ love for her was so strong he could override his conversion, and with the Doctor saved the world once again, although Danny was gone forever due to these events. She finished by telling Rose about how Danny had once been a soldier and had accidently killed a boy, and that he had chosen to send the child back from the Nethersphere instead of himself to make up for his transgression.

  
“Traveling with the Doctor,” Rose spoke after Clara finished, “you think that anything is possible. But there are some things out there that can never happen.”

Rose thought of the Doctor leaving her as she spoke these words…then she shook off the memory and continued. “But we are going to do anything we can to find this Danny and see how it goes, right?”

  
Now as the two women sat in the car, Clara looked over at Rose nervously as she prepared herself for this moment. “Good thing it’s Saturday, I know he’s not at school right now!” Clara laughed. “Wish me luck?”

  
“Good luck Clara!” Rose smiled at her and gave her a hug. With a final thumb’s up, she stepped out of the car, shut the door and climbed the stairs to his front door.

  
After standing there for nearly a minute, she finally rang the doorbell.

  
About thirty seconds passed, and Clara began to wonder if he was home and started to turn around. Then she heard the door slowly open.

  
There stood Danny, the parallel version.

  
His mouth open, he backed slowly away from the door. “Who are you? Is this some sort of sick joke?”

  
Clara wasn’t sure how to respond. She knew this would be weird. “Danny…” she said softly, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

  
Danny continued backing up. “You’re not real. You can’t be real!”

  
“Danny!” Clara cried out. “I know this is a shock…”

  
“You are a sick person! Really sick!” He stared at her, complete disbelief on his face.

  
“Danny, I’m not her. Just please listen to me!” she pleaded.

  
“This isn’t fair!” He began to weep. “You’re dead. I know you are. I was at the funeral. I saw your body, in the casket. You can’t be here!”

  
“Danny, stop!” Clara begged him to listen. “I’m not her! I’m not your Clara!”

  
“Then who the hell are you?” he screamed.

  
“Look,” she began softly, “I know this, all of this, is going to be hard to believe. I know, please trust me. I’m Clara, but not the Clara you knew. I’m Clara from, well, a parallel universe.”

  
He glared at her angrily. “You expect me to believe that rubbish? Really? Why are you doing this!”

  
“I’m doing this because, well, I lost my Danny in my universe. He’s dead.”

  
“So you are trying to tell me that you lost your ‘me’ in your universe and you came to this universe just so you could see if you could find another ‘me’?”

  
“Well, that’s not exactly what happened…” Clara answered.

  
“And how would you even get here? Coming from another universe?” His tone was turning sarcastic.

  
“Well, that’s a little harder to explain…”

  
“This is ALL really hard to explain!” he looked at her with anger.

  
Clara thought for a minute. _How do I do this?_

  
_Rose! Rose could help! Maybe between the two of us we could explain some of this._

  
“Listen,” she continued, “my friend Rose is in the car. I think perhaps she could help.”

  
“Yeah, two lunatic women explaining things. Am I on some television show? One where they prank people for laughs? Because this is not funny!” Danny was sounding desperate.

  
“No, Danny, I promise you this is no joke. I’m going to get Rose, okay?”

  
He didn’t answer.

  
Clara looked up at him longingly. She knew this would be hard. But maybe Rose could help explain. She turned and looked towards the car only to see Rose was already coming up the walk.

  
“Hello!” Rose said hesitantly. “I’m Rose Tyler-Smith. Nice to meet you.” She extended her hand.

  
Danny met her handshake but still stared at the blonde woman. “Nice to meet you too...” he spoke as her stared at her. “Why do you look so familiar?”

  
“Well,” Rose started, “the tabloids used to take pictures of me, trying to find out more about me. I was a bit of a mystery…daughter of Vitex millionaire comes out of nowhere…”

  
“Oh!” Danny exclaimed. “You’re Pete Tyler’s daughter?”

  
“Hello!” She waved.

  
“So…I am being pranked!” He smiled. “But this is unbelievable. How did they find someone who looks exactly like my girlfriend who died…and why would they do that? That’s a sick joke!” He was frowning again.

  
Clara smiled when he said that the other Clara had been his girlfriend.

  
“You’re not on television,” Rose reassured him. “And this isn’t a prank. Whatever Clara told you, it’s true.”

  
“I’m going to call the police!” Danny was getting upset.

  
“No, please listen to me!” Rose implored him. “Do you know why the millionaire’s daughter appeared suddenly out of nowhere?”

  
“He had an affair? You wanted his money?” Danny came up with reasonable explanations.

  
“No, that’s what everyone thinks, and that’s fine,” she continued. “But that’s not how it happened. I really did come out of nowhere…I’m from the parallel universe too. Me and my mum. Pete Tyler’s not my actual dad. He’s my parallel dad.”

  
“What is wrong with the two of you!” Danny stared at them in disbelief.

  
“Okay, Danny,” Rose thought of a different approach. “Do you remember the cybermen from some years ago? The Lumic Corporation? How his company was trying to convert all the people into cybermen? And how someone saved us all and exposed the company?”

  
“Yes, of course I do,” Danny answered. “Was like a science fiction movie. Really horrible.”

  
Clara inwardly grimaced at the thought of cybermen again.

  
“Well, you saw all that with your own two eyes. Why would it be so hard to believe that a parallel world exists?” Rose asked him.

  
“Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch,” he looked at Rose. “We have the technology and resources available on this planet to do exactly what Lumic did, sick as it was. But still feasible. How is that supposed to make me believe all this stuff about a parallel world?”

  
“Did you ever hear any more about the man who exposed Lumic Industries?” Rose asked.

  
“Well, no, besides the group called the Preachers. I assumed he was with them.”

  
“He wasn’t.” Rose answered. “He was with me, and after Lumic was killed and the London factory shut down, we went back to our world.”

  
“Really?” Danny replied coldly. “And how exactly did the two of you wind up in a parallel world?”

  
“We were time travelers,” Rose looked Danny in the eye, hoping to make him understand. “We came to this world accidentally. The TARDIS fell out of the time vortex and we wound up here.”

  
“TARDIS? What’s that?” Danny was growing impatient.

  
“Time and relative dimension in space,” Clara answered. “It’s a time machine in the shape of a blue police box.”

  
“You’re both barmy!” Danny snorted. “And who is this man?”

  
“His name’s the Doctor.” Rose’s eyes grew big as she spoke of him. “He’s a Time Lord. The last of them as far as we know. He goes around the universe saving entire civilizations. Whole worlds are safe because of him. He’s the one who kept this planet safe from the cybermen.”

  
“So, where is this Doctor now? Where is this blue police box?” Danny asked defiantly.

  
“Well…they’re still in Cardiff at my house I assume…” Rose knew this story was getting complicated.

  
“They? What do you mean ‘they’?”

  
Rose sighed heavily. “Well, you know how I said we were time travelers? After the Doctor and I went back to our universe the cybermen here, the ones they imprisoned in the factories, figured out a way to get to our universe and start an invasion.” She then told him about the Battle of Canary Wharf and how she became trapped in the parallel world, separated from the Doctor. “I started working for Torchwood on this planet. When the stars started going out, we knew we had to find the Doctor and get his help. We developed a dimension cannon that enabled us to travel between universes again. Well, when I finally found him, he got shot by a Dalek and well, he started to regenerate…”

  
Danny looked confused, so Clara explained, “When a Time Lord’s body is too old or fatally wounded, his body heals itself, but every cell in his body changes and he essentially becomes a new person.”

  
Rose and Clara looked at each other and then Rose continued. Rose explained that through a series of events a new Doctor was created, and that he and Rose were left in the parallel world, and that they were given a piece of TARDIS so that eventually they could travel in this universe.

  
Then Clara told Danny how she now travels with the first Doctor in their universe, although he is not physically the same person anymore because he has regenerated twice since then. She told him the reason that they wound up in the parallel world was because the Doctor was searching for his lost planet and he suspects that the walls between universes may have been re-fractured due to Gallifrey being forced into another dimension.

  
“So, there are two of them,” Danny furrowed his brow. “Two alien men called the Doctor who travel through space and time, only in separate universes, in blue police boxes, and the two of you travel with them…”

  
“Uh, well, my Doctor is only part Time Lord. He’s also part human…”Rose added.

  
“The two of you must take me for a fool! You expect me to believe any of this!” Danny sneered.

  
“Danny,” Clara looked at him longingly, “I told this was going to be difficult to believe…”

  
“Difficult? That doesn’t even begin…” he trailed off.

  
“Danny,” Rose looked at him directly. “What if I had the Doctors come here, so you could meet them and see that they are real and that we aren’t crazy?”

  
He laughed. “You are hilarious! Go right ahead! You do that, and I’ll change into a giant rabbit, yeah?”

  
“Danny!” Clara pleaded. “Please, if you ever loved, well, the other Clara, just let us prove this to you.”

  
He looked her in the eye, and suddenly his expression changed from indignation to sadness and longing. For just a moment, it looked as if he truly wanted this Clara to be real. _Maybe there’s hope_ Clara thought.

  
“All right,” He said, looking away quickly.

  
Rose picked up her mobile and called her husband. “Hello, Doctor? I know, I know, just trust me, okay? Where are you? Pancakes in America? Really? Well, can you two please come here now? Okay, thanks. Yes, I love you too. Yes, kids are fine. Okay, see you in a minute.”

She looked at Danny who really looked confused now. “Oh, did I mention he’s my husband and that we have kids? No? Okay then…”


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

  
The door to the TARDIS swung open and the two Doctors emerged. The full Time Lord Doctor looked over at Danny and smiled. “P.E.! So good to see you again!”

  
“Why is he calling me that?” Danny looked at Clara. “I don’t teach P.E.”

  
Clara smiled. “That’s what he’s always called you. Never could convince him that you didn’t teach P.E.”

  
The Meta-Crisis Doctor reached out and shook the hand of the still stunned Danny. “Hello, I’m the Doctor. Well, I’m the Doctor in this universe anyway. Guess this has been quite a lot to comprehend? Girl shows up at your door, looks just like someone you knew that was dead, then a blue police box materializes at your door. Bit much for a Saturday morning?"

  
“Yeah, you could say that,” Danny answered.

  
“So, Danny, would you like to see the inside of the TARDIS?” The Meta-Crisis asked.

  
“Okay, but it seems a bit crowded,” Danny looked hesitant.

  
“Well,” the Meta-Crisis drew out the word, “I think you might be a bit more surprised once you step inside…”

  
“All right then,” Danny agreed.

  
“I’ll come with you!” Clara spoke up and followed.

  
“How are we all going to fit in there?” Danny scowled.

  
“Oh,” the Meta-Crisis smiled at Rose as he entered the TARDIS, “We’ll manage.” He gave her a knowing wink as Danny and Clara stepped inside the machine. “I’ll give you two a tour!”

  
The sound of Danny gasping could be heard as the door closed.

  
Suddenly, The Time Lord Doctor and Rose found themselves alone. They looked at each other and an awkward silence resonated between the pair. How long had it been since the two of them had been alone together? And so much had changed. The Doctor wondered if Rose would even want to talk to him at all.

  
“We didn’t find it here,” the Doctor began.

  
“Find what?” Rose looked up at him, startled by the sound of his voice.

  
“Gallifrey. It wasn’t here. We went looking for it right after breakfast.”

  
“Oh,” she replied, sadness in her eyes, “I’m so sorry.”

  
“It’s all right,” he met her gaze. “Now that the TARDIS has been modified, it will be easier for me to jump between dimensions. It’s just a process of elimination trying to find it at this point.”

  
“So now you can jump into multiple parallel worlds?” she asked.

  
“Yes,” he answered, still looking into her eyes. He still couldn’t believe he was standing in front of her again. She was still just as beautiful as the last day he saw her on the beach.

  
She studied his face. He was so different this time, so much older. His eyes, although different, still revealed his true self, the man she had always known, had always loved. It was hard to comprehend that he was here, standing in front of her again.

She had so many questions. “Doctor, where’s Donna?”

  
The Doctor’s eyes revealed his sadness. “I had to wipe her mind. A human Time Lord Meta-Crisis can’t survive. All that knowledge was burning up her brain. She can never remember, because if she did, it would kill her.”

  
Rose was shocked. “Where is she now?”

  
“I left her in the care of her grandfather and mother,” the Doctor continued. “She’s just fine now. I kept an eye on her from a distance. She got married. She even won the lottery.”

  
“I’m sure you had something to do with that,” Rose smiled sadly.

  
The Doctor smiled back.

  
Rose suddenly realized something and frowned. “That means you were traveling alone for a while?”

  
“Yes.”

  
“Oh Doctor…” The thought of him being alone, especially after he left her forever and then losing Donna, confirmed her worst fear. “How long were you alone?”

  
“Until I regenerated.”

  
“You were alone when you regenerated?” Tears involuntarily welled up in her eyes.

  
“Yes.” He remembered that day vividly and how his last thoughts were of Rose. “I came to say goodbye to you.”

  
Rose looked confused. “How could you do that when I was here?”

  
The Doctor took a deep breath. “I went back in time, before we ever met. Saw you on New Year’s Eve, January the first, 2005.”

  
“I don’t even remember what I was doing that night,” Rose sighed.

  
“You were walking home with your mum. It was snowing. Then she walked off by herself and you headed towards the apartment. I wasn’t going to say anything, but I doubled over in pain and involuntarily groaned. That’s when you turned to me and asked if I was all right.”

  
Rose stood there, brow furrowed. She was so disappointed that the events from that evening were so foggy. She racked her brain, trying to recall anything…until she remembered something really odd about that night. How a stranger in the shadow of a building asked her what year it was. _How drunk do you have to be to not know the year?_ Then it suddenly occurred to her exactly who that stranger was and why he was asking. “’Oh my God! That was you!”

  
The Doctor smiled sadly. “Yes.”

  
Rose broke down in tears at this revelation. _He came back to see me in his last moments, before he regenerated. He was hurt and alone._ As angry as she had been at him for leaving her, all of that disappeared. The only thought she had was of the Doctor, of his pain, and it broke her heart. Until that moment it hadn’t fully hit her just how impossibly difficult it was to live his life, that the curse of the Time Lords was very real. That day on the beach, when he couldn’t tell her how he felt, now she truly understood why: that it hurt him too much. And if he had told her his true feelings, he may not have been able to walk away. He had made a huge sacrifice just to ensure her happiness. Knowing that he had come back to see her again, in the only possible way he could, was confirmation that he hadn’t just left her. He hadn’t forgotten her, and he never would.

  
She composed herself as best she could. “Well, I’m glad you’re not alone now.”

  
The Doctor cleared his throat, fighting the lump that had formed. He hated seeing Rose in pain. “Clara? She’s been good for me. Kept me in line.” He asked the next question even though he knew it would hurt. “So, I guess things worked out with you and Handy then?”

  
Rose gave him a dirty look as she chuckled. “Handy?”

  
“Well, I can’t very well call him ‘The Doctor.’ I’m the Doctor. Could get confusing.” He answered.

  
“Yes, things worked out for us,” Rose continued, although cautiously. “It took us some time. We had a lot to work through. But yes, things are good.”

  
“He said you have two children, a boy and a girl?” he asked, a proud smile on his face.

  
“Yes!” She replied sweetly. “Sarah and Peter. Sarah is five and Peter is three. They are brilliant, just like their father! Maybe sometime you could come meet them?”

  
_Just like their father_ the Doctor repeated in his head. _Just like their father._ “Maybe sometime,” he looked away as he spoke. He would need time to prepare himself for that.

  
The two broke from their conversation at the sound of the TARDIS door opening.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

  
“Unbelievable!” Danny exclaimed as he stepped out the door. “It’s bigger on the inside!”

  
“Never heard that before,” the Doctor muttered quietly to Rose. She smiled at him.

  
Clara and the Meta-Crisis followed Danny out. “Gave them a complete tour!” the Meta-Crisis proclaimed. “All the rooms so far…control room, bedrooms, med-bay, library, toy room…she’s not quite as big as the old TARDIS yet but she’s getting there!”

  
“Yeah, no swimming pool yet!” Clara laughed.

  
“Swimming pool?” Danny looked at her.

  
“Yeah, that’s next,” Rose looked at them. “The kids have been asking…”

  
The Meta-Crisis glanced over at Rose. He was concerned about how she was feeling but was trying not to be too obvious. “Rose? Can I talk to you in the TARDIS for a minute?”

  
“Sure!” She looked at him curiously, then followed him. “We’ll be right back!”

  
“That’s okay, Rose!” Clara said, “We want to talk to the Doctor about something anyway.”

  
As soon as the TARDIS door shut, the Meta-Crisis grabbed Rose and kissed her passionately. When he pulled away, Rose looked at him.

  
“What was that for?” she smiled.

  
“Oh, I just missed you, that’s all,” he grinned back.

  
“Really?” She knew better. “That didn’t have anything to do with me being alone with, well, him?”

  
“Nah,” the Meta-Crisis lied.

  
“I told you not to worry. Everything’s fine,” she tried to convince him.

  
“I know,” he became serious. “But remember, we were once the same man. Same thoughts, same feelings. And I know how I feel about you. How I’ve always felt about you. From the very beginning.”

  
“I know,” she reached up and caressed his cheek. “And I have always felt the same about you. And even though he is the same man, he’s not. He’s changed, and not just physically. He’s moved on emotionally as well.”

  
“He’ll never stop loving you,” The Meta-Crisis looked into her eyes.

  
“And I will always love him,” Rose replied, meeting his gaze. “But that’s because you are the same man. But you stayed with me. And as you recall I didn’t run away from you either.”

  
“And why would you?” he grinned. “Look at me!”

  
“Shut up!” she grabbed his ear and pulled teasingly, then reached up and gently kissed his lips. “Bottom line, Doctor, is that I love you, and nothing is going to split us up, not now, not ever. Don’t ya reckon?”

  
“I reckon Mrs. Smith,” he looked down at her lovingly. “No storm this time. Not even one from a different universe.” They hugged each other tightly. They both knew everything would be fine. They had been together long enough that they were completely secure in their relationship at this point. Through all the trials at the beginnings of their journey in the parallel world, including raising two children together, they both knew that this was where they were meant to be. This was the forever that Rose had promised the Doctor, and it was perfect.

  
Rose backed up from the Meta-Crisis to ask him a question. “So, what’s going to happen with Danny and Clara? Pretty big shock for him today, no doubt.”

  
“Uh, yeah, no thanks to the two of you!” The Meta-Crisis groaned. “Poor guy, blind-sided him a bit, don’t you think?”

  
“Maybe…” Rose drew out the word.

  
“Well, I gave them some privacy. Told them I had to go calibrate something. Really I just went into the kid’s playroom and popped in a DVD…”

  
“Doctor!” She knew he would ramble if she didn’t stop him.

  
“Oh, yes! Well, they talked for a while. Obviously this has been a lot for him to comprehend in a short amount of time. So he told Clara that he needs some time to sort this out in his mind. The good news is that they now have each other’s phone numbers, calibrated thanks to me and my new improved sonic screwdriver! They are going to keep in touch and take things slowly. After all, this is a brand new relationship for the two of them. And if they want to take the next step forward, the other Doctor can bring Clara over here, or vice-versa!”

  
“That’s what they needed to talk to him about!” Rose said enthusiastically.

  
“Yup!” He replied. “Working out the details as we speak!”

  
“So, are the walls between realities breaking down again?” Rose asked with concern. “It was bad the last time this happened.”

  
“We will have to monitor the situation,” The Meta-Crisis concluded. “Last time, we knew that Davros was responsible for this. This time, it could be that the cracks were reopened when Gallifrey was saved in a pocket. Or it could be that since Gallifrey was saved, that the Time Lords are responsible for the walls being open again. Hopefully we will find out soon. In the meantime, I will keep a close eye on things now that the TARDIS is fully functioning!”

  
“Regardless,” Rose smiled again, “It’s nice that they’ll be able to keep in touch. They won’t have to make any big decisions right away. No getting trapped in a parallel universe. We both know how that can put a strain on a relationship!”

  
“Quite right,” the Meta-Crisis smiled back at her. “Hopefully things will work out in the end for them, like they did for us!” He grabbed her up in his arms again and thoroughly kissed her.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

  
Rose and the Meta-Crisis stepped out of the TARDIS and greeted the trio. The Time Lord Doctor walked towards them as Clara and Danny made their way to his front steps.

  
“So, Danny, I’ll wait for you to call me. No pressure, okay?” Clara said to Danny.

  
“I will call you, I promise. Just give me some time, that’s all.” He replied as he looked at her.

  
“I know. Take all the time you need.”

  
“And Clara?” Danny added.

  
“Yes?”

  
“I just want you to know that, well, regardless of how weird this has all been, I am truly grateful that I met you. It’s not often people get a second chance like this. Like never. So I want to thank you for taking a chance on me. It had to be a big decision for you, and you had to know it could have gone much worse than it did. And for me to get another chance to see your face again, well, you have no idea how incredible this is for me. I just want to say thank you.”

  
Clara smiled at him as a tear formed in her eye. “Thank you, too. It was really special for me as well.”

  
The two of them looked at each other and hugged. It was as if they had been together before.

  
The Time Lord Doctor looked at the Meta-Crisis and shook his hand. “Well, Handy, thanks for your help! I suppose you need to take us back to the other TARDIS.”

  
“Oi!” The Meta-Crisis remarked at the ‘Handy’ reference.

  
“Doctor!” Clara turned from her embrace and chided him.

  
“Anyway,” The Meta-Crisis chose to move on, “It’s been a pleasure.”

  
“Doctor,” Rose looked directly at the Time Lord. “Can I just speak to you in private for a moment?” She then looked at her husband, who gave her an understanding glance.

  
“I’ll just be in the TARDIS,” the Meta-Crisis motioned to his wife. “I’ll see you at your mum and dad’s house this evening. Clara, when you’re ready just knock. You too, Eyebrows.”

  
“Oi!” cried the Doctor. Then he looked down at Rose and smiled. She walked a little ways down the street and he followed.

  
When they were out of earshot, Rose turned to her old Doctor and faced him. She reached for both his hands and looked directly in his eyes. “I just want to say thank you,” she stated.

  
“For what?” he asked.

  
“For everything,” she answered. “For this life that you have given me. For the sacrifice that you made.”

  
“Rose, I…” he started.

  
“No, let me finish,” she begged. “I know why you did it. You couldn’t live this life. I know that. You have to go on saving the universe. It was selfish of me to ever think otherwise. I just want to tell you how grateful I am that you did what you did. It took me a long time to understand, and I’m not angry anymore. I’m really, really happy here. And even if you aren’t here physically, a part of you is, and always will be with me. I will always love you, Doctor, and even if you can’t say it, I know you love me too.”

  
“Rose…” The Doctor whispered.

  
She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. “Goodbye, Doctor.”

  
“Goodbye Rose,” he looked at her as she pulled away.

  
They walked back to the TARDIS and met Clara. “Ready, Doctor?” Clara smiled.

  
“Yes,” he stated. “Goodbye, P.E.!” He waved in the direction of Danny.

  
“I don’t teach P.E.!” Danny said in vain.

  
Rose and Clara gave each other a big hug. “Thank you so much for everything!” Clara said to Rose.

  
“We’ll keep in touch!” Rose promised.

  
Clara knocked on the door and it opened. As they entered, the Doctor looked again at Rose.

  
“Until next time,” Rose mouthed the words.

  
_Until next time_ the Doctor repeated in his mind behind the closed door.

  
Rose stood by Danny. “You’ll want to see this again!” she stated enthusiastically. They watched as the TARDIS dematerialized.

  
“This day has been crazy!” Danny sighed.

  
“You have no idea…” Rose said as she watched the TARDIS fade.

  
Inside the ship, Clara reached out and touched the Time Lord on the arm. He was still facing the door. He touched his face where Rose had kissed him.

  
“You alright?” she asked.

  
“I’m alright,” he answered. “I’m always alright.”

  
As the Meta-Crisis piloted them back to the farmhouse where the other TARDIS waited for their return, he knew what ‘always alright’ really meant. The Doctor would never really be ‘alright’. But he would manage. Just an idiot in a blue box, passing through, helping out, learning. Because that’s what Time Lords do. That was their curse: a life that lasted for thousands of years, through multiple regenerations, never looking back, watching the ones you love wither and die. He had to manage, because it was just too painful to do anything else.

  
And he was so grateful that he had the best of both worlds.


End file.
